THE ANCIENT TEMPERATE RAINFOREST
They are an old as the classical ruins of Greece and Rome. And just as inspiring. But unlike the dead relics from those great civilizations, the ancient temperate rainforests of the Pacific coast are magnificently alive.
Clustered between the Pacific Ocean and the mountain ranges that line the West Coast of North America, these natural wonders extend from the giant redwoods of northern California to the primeval Sitka spruce rainforests of southeastern Alaska. Along the way they take in the majestic Douglas-fir forests or Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, and the gnarled cedars, drooping hemlocks and the stately Sitka spruce of Washington, British Columbia and Alaska.
Within this remarkable continental phenomenon, the rain-drenched, moss-filled rainforests of the west coast of Vancouver Island stand out as an ecological wonder of the world. In an ecosystem that achieved its present form 2,000 to 3,000 years ago, there could conceivably be veteran cedars with more growth rings than there are years on the Christian calendar. The biggest trees in the west coast rainforest power their way for more than 91 metres (295 feet) - roughly the height of a 30-story skyscraper.
Set in a landscape that is a maze of steep forested mountains, narrow twisting valleys and meandering saltwater fiords, the island rainforests are a cloud-encased world of wetness and wonder.
There are spirits in the rainforest just as sure as there are prowling cougars and winged eagles. The original peoples of the rainforest paid homage to these spirits in their ceremonies and their arts. Today the voices of these spirits are muted, the memories of them neglected. But if you care to, you can attend to the spirits of the rainforest and be transformed.
